The sun peaked over the horizon as they found the crash site. The massive cargo hauler looked like it had crashed and then exploded. But instead of fire and debris everywhere, it just looked like a bag and burst and everything and everyone had spilled out onto the ground.

Most of the people were standing around in some form of shock. There were a few who were clearly dead, but whatever system tech or magic the cargo haulers had installed in them had protected the people inside from the worst of the crash.

“Secure the perimeter, we need to ensure the civilians aren’t under threat.” The lieutenant who was in charge of the platoon they had ridden with ordered. He started giving more orders, as Jessica and Max got out of the rover. The metal rod in Jessica’s hands felt cold. She had traded out the staff for another device the armory had been stocked with. She looked at the metal stick, that’s really all it was. On its end there was a small white glowing crystal, but the rod itself had no adornment. Just a metal shaft.

“Let’s go Jessica, we’ll need to find the most critically wounded.” As the infantry squads dismounted and spread out, looking for the enemy and securing the area, Jessica and Max went to work. The first group of people they found were three men in various service fatigues. They didn’t have any weapons, and had been stunned by whatever had sent them sprawling hundreds of feet from the crash site. But for the most part, they were unhurt.

Jessica cracked a smelling salt and put it under the nose of the unconscious men. Two woke up instantly, the third much more groggily. She looked at his head, and there was some clear swelling. “I think he has a concussion.” Max got down on the ground and looked into the man’s eyes with a small flashlight.

“Yup, pupils aren’t dilating. From the look of that hit, it’s pretty serious. Maybe hit him with some juice?” Jessica rolled her eyes, before filling the small magical item with fifty mana, and activating it.

You have successfully cast Cure Minor Injury. Effect: Restores up to 50% of the target’s missing health, removes minor status effects. Reduces serious to minor, and major to serious status effects. Warning: This spell will repair damage from poison or intoxicants, but will not remove them from the body.

The man’s swelling went down to merely a bump and he groaned more loudly at the pain the light caused him. “Good, pupils are dilating. You two, look after him. He’s going to need medical attention when the support units get here.” Max ordered and the two men half heartedly saluted as they got to their feet.

Jessica and Max left the three and made their way closer to the crash site. They found nearly a dozen groups of people, most with minor injuries, none requiring magical healing to stabilize. They left each group with instructions to move closer to where the caravan of humvees, rovers, and support vehicles were before moving on.

The strange thing was, the closer they got to the crash site, the worse the injuries grew. Jessica had expected it to be the reverse, at least until she got inside the crash its self. People thrown thousands of feet should probably be dead, if not at least suffering from major life-threatening damage. “It’s got to be something to do with the ship’s magic.” Max said, as Jessica used her healing rod for the second time. It was an older woman who had clearly broken her leg. She couldn’t move, and the blood loss threatened to end her. When the healing aura from the rod died away, Jessica responded.

“I agree. It’s like the survivors are all evenly distributed around the plane.” They moved on and found three more who needed magic to stabilize them before help arrived. Three large helicopters landed on the far side of the crash, and medical personnel poured out. The last helicopter held two squads, twelve soldiers who spread out and reinforced the perimeter set up by those Jessica had accompanied to the site.

“They’ll set up a triage unit. Let’s get there.” Max followed her as she headed off toward the doctors.